Lights Out from Nepal

Written by United Planet Volunteer Carrie Schramm.

I live on the third floor and spend a lot of my time in the living room (across from my room) or on the roof (the sixth floor) where I can see the top of some of the mountains on clear days.

Photo taken from Peter Akkermans, Flickr

The students at my school all ask for science experiments so I am thinking of small things that I can buy for the school that allows them to do science experiments. Even a beaker or graduated cylinder would be great. Any ideas? So far I’ve planned measuring water flow, playing with magnets, and some math games with flashcards and dice. I need help.

So there are two important things I forgot to mention because I am already getting used to them. The first is electricity. A comic was in the paper the other day that depicted two travelers getting shown to their room. The caption below read “This is your room. don’t worry about turning off the lights, the government does that for us.” The government turns out the electricity for eight hours a day (two – four hour segments). It usually is in the morning while I am at school and then when it gets dark from around six to ten. Most nights we eat, cook, talk, and read by candlelight. I actually like the simplicity. When the lights turn on there is a quick cheer and then everyone continues with whatever they were doing (or turns on the TV). It is a fun little surprise and makes a person appreciate the little things in life.

Photo taken from Dmitry_Sumin, Flickr

The other thing is the traffic. I have to cross the road to get to school and every day I feel like I should be so elated that I made it. Nima told me to “just walk, they won’t hit you.” So far that has worked! There are no traffic lanes and there are no traffic rules. When going around a corner they honk to see if someone is coming on the other side and they honk if they are coming. That way they know to try and stay on their own side. Very very few people drive something other than a motorcycle. They are the best because they can sneak through stalled traffic, lots of fun. I don’t almost scream when I’m in a taxi anymore because with this kind of traffic they never really get above 25 miles per hour. It is just a little scary at times.

Photo taken from ah_zut, Flickr

Well, I best get home and take a shower…I mean a “bucket bath.” There is no hot water so we heat up water in buckets and use a cup to rinse off. It is difficult to wash long hair in a bucket…but not all that different from camping. It is better than a cold shower!

Carrie Schramm is currently volunteering in Nepal. You can read more about her experiences on her blog.